On Monday, November 28, 2005 Palestinians from At-Tuwani plowed and plantedland in Khoruba valley. Before beginning work, Palestinians arranged for anofficer from the Israeli military District Coordinating Office (DCO) to bepresent on the land, which lies close to the Israeli settlement outpost ofHavot Ma`on (Hill 833) during plowing.

The DCO officer failed to show up at the appointed time and did not answerphone calls from Palestinians inquiring about his presence. After waitingan hour and a half, the Palestinians began working without the presence ofthe military; internationals from CPT and Operation Dove accompanied thevillagers.

Ten minutes after Palestinians began plowing and planting, settler securityfrom Ma`on, along with three settler men, arrived and observed from the hillabove. Israeli soldiers arrived forty-five minutes later. After speakingwith the settlers, the soldiers ordered Palestinians to cease work until theDCO arrived. The Palestinians agreed to stop and wait.

Fifteen minutes later four Israeli soldiers arrived in a silver truck andwalked down to where the Palestinians were waiting. CPTers and Dovesremained with the Palestinians, documenting the soldiers` orders withphotographs and videotaping. Immediately, soldiers demanded that thePalestinians move up the hill, further away from the settlement. As CPTersand Doves photographed the incident, soldiers began to shove, grab, andchase the internationals who were holding cameras. Soldiers confiscated twodigital cameras and one video camera, and detained one member of OperationDove.

Shortly afterwards, members of the Israeli peace groups Ta`ayush and Rabbisfor Human Rights arrived to document the situation, and act as advocates forthe Palestinians attempting to access their land. One hour later, after theIsraeli advocates negotiated with the soldiers, soldiers released the Doveand returned the cameras.

Following the incident, Israeli police arrived on scene to investigate,speaking with the settlers and taking a statement from Ma`on settlersecurity. When the internationals requested that police take theirstatements regarding the soldiers assaulting them, a policeman threatenedthe internationals saying `If you file complaints against the soldiers theywill file complaints against you, charging you with holding onto soldiers`weapons, and you will be arrested.`

An Israeli military commander for the At-Tuwani area arrived, sayingalthough `the civil administration doesn`t have any decision on the[ownership of] the land`, the military was declaring it a closed militaryzone, effectively preventing Palestinian access to the land. The commanderalso told the internationals that that the soldiers had behavedinappropriately. `You have a right to take photos as you like,` he stated.

At 4:30PM the Palestinians, Israeli peace activists and internationals leftthe area. Several military personnel remained in the area for the closedmilitary order to arrive. Palestinians from At-Tuwani told internationalsthat they would continue to work their land, aided by their Israeli lawyer,who has documents proving both Palestinian ownership and the illegality ofmilitary interfering and blocking access to Palestinians.